State Regulations to Support Children's Cultural and Religious Food Preferences in Early Care and Education

US state variations in food bank donation policy and implications for nutrition

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Food insecurity has increased, and more families are relying on charitable food.

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Little is known about whether US policies promote healthy food donations.

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We found that only 2 policies explicitly promoted the donation of healthy foods.

Food insecurity has increased dramatically in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 public health and economic crisis. Many more families in the United States are turning to the charitable food system to help meet their needs. However, little is known about the policies that influence food bank donations and whether they promote healthy food donations. The purpose of this study was to explore state variation in food donation policies and secondarily to assess whether policies promoted the donation of healthy foods and beverages. We reviewed donation policies for all states in the United States and Washington, DC (hereafter “states”) in fall 2020. Two reviewers independently assessed donation policies using two legal databases; we reconciled discrepancies via team discussion. We then grouped them into 10 distinct categories based on common purpose and theme. We identified 252 state policies from 51 states. Policies fell into all 10 categories. The largest category was “liability protection,” with all states having a policy in this category. The second largest category was date labeling; 32 states had requirements or policies restricting the donation of past-dated foods. However, across all categories, we found that only two policies explicitly promoted the donation of healthy foods and beverages. Although all states had some policies governing food donations, few promoted healthier foods and beverages. States could encourage healthy donations through policy to help ensure that all families have access to nutritious foods and beverages.

Obesity Prevention within the Early Childhood Education and Care Setting: A Systematic Review of Dietary Behavior and Physical Activity Policies and Guidelines in High Income Countries

As a strategy for early childhood obesity prevention, a variety of dietary behavior and physical activity policies and guidelines published by leading health agencies and early childhood education and care (ECEC) licensing and accreditation bodies exist. Given the potential diversity in recommendations from these policies, this narrative review sought to synthesize, appraise and describe the various policies and guidelines made by organizational and professional bodies to highlight consistent recommendations and identify opportunities to strengthen such policies. An electronic bibliographic search of seven online databases and grey literature sources was undertaken. Records were included if they were policies or guidelines with specific recommendations addressing dietary behavior and/or physical activity practice implementation within the ECEC setting; included children aged >12 months and <6 years and were developed for high income countries. Recommended dietary behavior and physical activity policies and practices were synthesized into broad themes using the Analysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity framework, and the quality of included guidelines appraised. Our search identified 38 eligible publications mostly from the US and Australia. Identified guidelines were largely consistent in their recommendation and frequently addressed the physical and sociocultural environment and were well-aligned with research evidence. Broader consideration of policy and economic environments may be needed to increase the impact of such policies and guidelines within the ECEC setting.

Food Bank Donations in the United States: A Landscape Review of Federal Policies

Rates of food insecurity have increased substantially in the United States (US), and more families are turning to the charitable food system to help meet their needs. Prior studies have examined the nutritional quality of foods offered through food banks, but little is known about what government policies may shape the healthy food donation landscape. The purpose of this study was to review US federal policies that impact food and beverage donations to food banks and assess whether policies encourage healthy food donations. In spring 2020, two researchers independently reviewed federal food and beverage donation policies using predefined search terms in two legal databases. We identified six categories of policies based on the existing food donation literature and themes that emerged in the policy review. We identified 42 federal policies spanning six categories that addressed food and beverage donations to food banks. The largest category was "government programs," with 19 (45%) policies. The next largest category was "donation via schools," with 12 (29%) policies. However, no policies specifically addressed the nutritional quality of food donations. There is an opportunity for the federal government to strengthen food bank donation policies and improve the nutritional quality of donated foods and beverages.

Childcare Food Provision Recommendations Vary across Australia: Jurisdictional Comparison and Nutrition Expert Perspectives

Early childhood is a critical stage for nutrition promotion, and childcare settings have the potential for wide-reaching impact on food intake. There are currently no Australian national guidelines for childcare food provision, and the comparability of existing guidelines across jurisdictions is unknown. This project aimed to map and compare childcare food provision guidelines and to explore perspectives amongst early childhood nutrition experts for alignment of jurisdictional childcare food provision guidelines with the Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG). A desktop review was conducted and formed the basis of an online survey. A national convenience sample of childhood nutrition experts was surveyed. Existing guideline recommendations for food group serving quantities were similar across jurisdictions but contained many minor differences. Of the 49 survey respondents, most (84-100%) agreed with aligning food group provision recommendations to provide at least 50% of the recommended ADG serves for children. Most (94%) agreed that discretionary foods should be offered less than once per month or never. Jurisdictional childcare food provision guidelines do not currently align, raising challenges for national accreditation and the provision of support and resources for services across jurisdictions. Childhood nutrition experts support national alignment of food provision guidelines with the ADG.